Dr. Christopher J. Nellum is the executive director of EdTrust-West, an evidence-driven advocacy organization committed to advancing policies and practices to dismantle the racial and economic barriers embedded in California’s education system. In his role, Chris leads a team of passionate, talented advocates and has solidified and strengthened EdTrust-West’s role as one of the most influential and impactful education advocacy organizations in the state.
The mission of EdTrust-West is personal to Chris. He describes his family as impressing upon him the need to question commonly-held “truths” about Black communities and people and to always push for fairness, racial justice, and equity. His mother and grandparents grew up in the South and engaged in efforts to desegregate Louisiana State University in New Orleans. He also attributes his commitment to partnership and collective action as an advocate to his family, who instilled in him the importance of going further and doing more in community rather than in competition.
Nellum’s path from the Head Start program through K-12 education and college was not a straight line and mirrors many of the challenges low-income students of color face today. His hometown, located in California’s Imperial Valley, is rich with familial and cultural traditions, but for Nellum, it was also the site of extreme rural poverty. He credits a counselor at Brawley Union High School with helping him open the door to college as a first-generation student and Pell/Cal Grant recipient.
Now leading a team of dedicated, thoughtful advocates, Nellum has deepened EdTrust-West’s expertise in TK-12 and higher education and stewarded the organization through multiple, multi-year strategic planning efforts. He has been a key leader in successful advocacy efforts that secured billions of dollars in state investments to expand access and opportunity for California’s Black, Latinx, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Native American, and multilingual learner students. Nellum’s know-how and leadership proved crucial in successful efforts to ensure equity in the TK-12 accountability system, create a statewide cradle-to-career data system, expand access to early college programs, strengthen STEM instruction, address food insecurity for college students, guarantee that every high school senior completes a financial aid application before they graduate, and defend fairness in college admissions. In addition, Nellum was the founding co-chair of the California Higher Education Equity Coalition.
Before joining EdTrust-West, Chris served in roles with the National Center for Institutional Diversity, Young Invincibles, and the American Council on Education. He cut his teeth in education equity on college campuses working directly with students. Nellum earned his undergraduate degree at UC Santa Barbara, master’s degree at CSU Long Beach, and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. He mentors young Black and Latinx students through his volunteer work with college access programs like Berkeley Community Scholars.
Nellum regularly provides commentary for media outlets, including PBS NewsHour, EdSource, CalMatters, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and NBC News. In addition, he was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to serve on the Student Centered Funding Formula Oversight Committee and by Governor Gavin Newsom to serve on the Cradle-to-Career Data System Governing Board. He also serves on several statewide committees as well as the advisory boards of the New Leadership Academy and GENup, and the Board of Directors of the James B. McClatchy Foundation and Swipe Out Hunger. He is also an adjunct professor of education and recently taught at the University of San Francisco, UC Davis, and the University of San Diego. He has received awards for his policy advocacy and leadership from the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) and the Policy Innovators in Education (PIE) Network.
Dr. Nellum lives with his wife and children in Oakland, California. You can follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @chrisnellum.
